Pork dumplings. / Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

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At Akebono, the sushi is on fire. Literally!

Not all the sushi, of course. But if you order the kaji roll, with spicy tuna and tempura shrimp, you’ll get it wrapped in foil on a flaming platter. Keep your chop sticks at the ready — seconds later, the flame dies down and the warmed-up roll is ready to eat.

Akebono Japanese Restaurant is the newest addition to the sushi scene in downtown Des Moines and is located directly across from Raccoon River Brewing Company on the corner of 10th and Mulberry streets.

The dining room is blue like the ocean and features two bars — one for cocktails and the other for sushi. You’ll know the sushi bar by the itamae (sushi chefs) studiously at work making their raw fish preparations. Of course, there are cooked dishes here as well.

On a recent visit with a companion, we started with the pork dumplings ($6 for five). These stuffed appetizers are cooked in the fashion of pot stickers, which is to say that they are steamed and then sauteed until the dough is browned and crispy. The filling is a tasty mixture of ground pork, garlic and ginger.

I also tried the steamed edamame ($4 for a small bowl), otherwise known as soybeans. They come still in the shell, which is not edible, so be prepared for a bit of peeling as you eat. You can also get them tossed with butter and garlic for $5.

Naturally, sushi is the star here. The menu includes sashimi (raw fish) and nigiri (raw fish on seasoned rice), There are also many, many kinds of maki, the sliced rolls of rice stuffed with vegetables and cooked or raw seafood.

Once the flames abated, I dove into the warmed kaji roll ($14) and it was good. The tempura coating on the shrimp was still crispy and there was a spicy sauce that added considerable zip.

Even better was the next roll, the zee-zee ($12), which is also filled with tempura shrimp but gets further topped with sliced avocado and unagi, that wonderful barbecued eel that’s smoky, sweet and so addictive.

If you don’t want sushi, there are several intriguing options, including a ramen bowl with pork belly and a bento box.

In Japan, bento are boxed meals that can be quite elab­orate. At Akebono, it’s a compact tray that includes a portion of rice, a seaweed salad, a California roll and your choice of meat. You can pick from chicken ($10), shrimp ($11) or salmon ($12). We ordered the shrimp, which get coated with a batter and fried. The shrimp were very crispy and delicious and there were plenty of them.

Nearly full, we allowed the excellent waiter to talk us into sharing an order of the tempura fried cheese­cake ($7) and did not regret it. The battered-and-fried dessert had a crunchy shell but was melt-in-your-mouth creamy inside. A topping of whipped cream and strawberries made each bite all the sweeter.

With a solid menu and a bit of fiery flare, Akebono is off to a good start and is worth consid­ering as an alternative to its more seasoned down­town competition, Miyabi 9 and Wasabi Tao.